(This will be a bit long. My apologies. Sometimes I start typing and it just turns into a stream of thoughts that are all related..)
It has gotten better in now having one of the two major political parties in this country standing with us, supporting us, and fighting for us - instead of acting like we don't exist, preferring we stay in the closet, or thinking we're a pawn on the chess board.
But on the flip side, now instead of the other party also acting like we don't exist (and preferring that we'd just stay in the closet), they're now openly attacking us. And it seems with each "setback" - the courts telling them no, or Drumpf losing - they get even more vicious.
The Democrats have done an incredible job of evolving on LGBTQ issues for the most part. The Republicans, as usual, have tried to see how fast they can go in the opposite direction. And the Republicans, as usual, are the problem - not the solution.
The 80's... *shakes head* Wonderful pop culture. The politics and social climate, though... Not so good. I doubt I'll ever forgive Reagan for many things... The AIDS/gay jokes were among the lowest of the low. All that changed with Rock Hudson was we went from cruel jokes to empty lip service. "Progress"... I guess?
Junior high and high school can be brutal on anyone who is different in any way. Not liking the right kind of music or hating sports or owning the wrong freaking video game console can bring ridicule. Enduring public school while LGBTQ? It truly can be a living nightmare. For me, it was a 5 year nightmare of not being masculine enough (gee, I wonder why?), not looking right, not fitting in, and going to school everyday wondering what abuse I'd see that day. I was targeted by the students, who were enabled by the principal and administrators, with maybe a handful of friends and having some of the teachers looking out for me.
And, again, this was just before reaching any real understanding about myself, or knowing there was a term for it, and that I was not the only person who Earth who felt like it. I tested out after my junior year of high school. I doubt I would've survived my senior year had I tried to stick around.
I'm not sure I could handle school right now, either, even with the progress we've made with the Democratic party. The Republicans are so much meaner. I'd probably have a breakdown as a trans teen today, even in a blue state. I'd probably wake up everyday fearful of the shit in Texas spreading here. The area I'm in is still, at best, purple. Would I wind up in the school from hell yet again? Would I be made a pariah on social media? I don't know. I know I have deep concern and worry for any LGBTQ teen, even today - and the redder the store, the more I worry.
What we are seeing in Texas is what happens when you coddle bigotry and hate. Something I've seen first-hand. One of my many former friends is a wannabe tough guy. "Toughest SOB in *insert city here*." Loves telling people "No fear", "No tears", all that alpha male toxic masculinity macho bullshit. When he found out his "friend" (me) was a trans woman? Watch him meltdown. Watch him whine. Watch him act like it somehow affects him. And instead of people telling him "Grow the fuck up" or "You're so tough? Act it!" it was just easier to label me the problem. He's not wrong for misgendering me, I'm wrong for being offended. He's not wrong for calling me "It", I'm wrong for being hurt. And so on.
So, as it often does with bigots, bigotry breeds bigotry. His transphobia turned into homophobia, which is now full-on white supremacy. He loved to tell us what a "proud Democrat" he was (doubtful.) 2008 rolls around. He's Team Hillary. He's all fired up for the end of the Bush Error, and GOP power.... Until Obama wins the primary. Despite the fact that Hillary might be a tick to the left of Obama, but their views are a lot alike... Now he's ranting and raving about "commie socialism" and "taking my money and handing it out to lazy people" and all that nonsense.
Hmmm.. Gee. What's the real difference? Between Hillary and Obama, one is white.
Well, thanks to coddling his transphobia, and his later homophobia, and his ignorance, he's now a full-on MAGA racist because he had to "suffer" by seeing a black man be called "Mr. President" for 8 years. What happens when you give bigots an inch. What happens when you coddle bigotry.
So we're now seeing this in Texas and Florida and other places. Their bigotry has been coddled. It's now the entire platform of these thugs. And when they "make a gain", such as issuing this toxic and hateful order to go after trans teens, they're all set to take another step and be even worse... Which is now removing the information on services to prevent LGBTQ suicide. They do it, despite knowing the risk of suicide in LGBTQ's - especially T's. It's not ignorance, it's malice. Shame us, wound us, break us, then watch us "delete" ourselves from the world - which they think revolves around them.
"Think of the children," my ass. "Compassionate conservatives," my ass. "Family values," my ass.
The cruelty is the point. I went from being 95% sure they're trying to kill us to 150% thanks to the article in the OP.
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